Mercedes team boss Ross Brawn has admitted that Michael Schumacher is struggling to get the best from his car because of the 'peculiar' nature of the front tyres.

Schumacher endured another disappointing grand prixte, the seven-time world champion finishing just out of the points in Hungary despite an overly aggressive attempt at defending tenth position from Rubens Barrichello.

"I think there is a tendency with these front tyres - because they are very peculiar," Brawn told Autosport. "They saturate very quickly in terms of providing grip and I think that is probably where we haven't got hold of the situation. We haven't found a good way of using them."

In contrast to Schumacher, team-mate Nico Rosberg has not endured such difficulties and has finished on the podium three times this season. Brawn equates the reason to the difference in the driving styles of the two men.

"I think Nico, as part of the evolution of the tyres, is very skilled and very talented at using the tyres. I don't think Michael has quite worked out how to get the best from these tyres. Some tracks where the tyres are perhaps not such an issue then he is fine, where you get tracks like this where finding a way of getting the tyres to work is hard.

"I also don't think they reward an aggressive style. Michael's talents are an aggressive-style car that is on the edge of stability and controlling it there. I don't think these tyres reward such an approach, so it will be interesting next year to see what Pirelli come up with."

To add to Schumacher's woes, race officials handed him a ten place grid demotion for the Belgian Grand Prix after penalising him for dangerous driving.

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